ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County deputies continue to investigate the murder of mental health counselor Rebecca White, by her former client Michael Smith.
They say Smith somehow got into an office building at 933 Lee Road on Monday, around 9 pm, and stabbed her to death. He then took his own life the next day.
Records show 39-year-old Smith was arrested for breaking into a woman’s home and raping her in 2003, at the time he was only 17 years old.
As part of his sentence, he was ordered to have mental health counseling, after being released from prison in 2022.
Rebecca’s friend and former co-worker Cherlette McCullough says, “She was phenomenal therapist. I mean her niche she was good, specifically with sex offenders.”
Rebecca’s family released this statement:
Our family is devastated by the unimaginable and violent loss of my sister, Rebecca. She was brutally taken from us while doing the work she was deeply committed to- helping others through individual therapy. Rebecca was bright, intelligent, compassionate, and someone who took safety seriously, especially in her profession. We are struggling to understand how this could have happened. There are serious and troubling questions surrounding building access, security measures, surveillance, and how an individual was able to enter the premises during those hours. This tragedy raises concerns about systemic failures that may have contributed to a situation that should never have occurred and, in our view, could have been prevented. Right now, our family is grieving an irreplaceable loss. We are heartbroken, angry, and searching for answers- but above all, we are mourning Rebecca.
We respectfully ask for privacy during this incredibly painful time as we begin to process this loss and support one another. Our focus is on honoring Rebecca’s life and the person she was, not on speculation or public commentary.
We tried to talk to the property management company, but no one was available.
Realtor Ray Lopez of Kelly Williams Advantage isn’t responsible for this property, but says in general, buildings usually have a security guard or other safety precautions. “They’re typically locked at a certain time to where you’d have to either have a key access or a keypad access.”
According to Sunbiz, the property is owned by a company called 933 Building LLC. Ray says owners sometimes create a land trust to protect their personal assets in case they’re sued. He has advice to tenants. “Write up a lease that’s going to include all of your wants and wishes.”
And if tenants don’t get what they want, safety expert James Copenhaver says they can make changes on their own: “it is up to the individual tenants to provide their own buzzer or pass cards or IDs.”
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